England and Wales find themselves placed in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing recalls their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
Ireland and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing win, with Scotland unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups play out in line with the current world rankings, other top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England and the Irish until the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will open the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match designed to jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.
This edition will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will play a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
RWC 2027 Draw
Pool A
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Chile
- Hong Kong
Pool B
- South Africa
- Italy
- Georgia
- Romania
Pool C
- Argentina
- Fiji
- Spain
- Canada
Pool D
- Ireland
- Scotland
- Uruguay
- Portugal
Pool E
- France
- Japan
- USA
- Samoa
Pool F
- England
- Wales
- Tonga
- Zimbabwe
